Tunisia decides to restore Mask of Gorgon to Algeria

Tunisian Culture Minister Mourad Sakli on Saturday announced that his country will restore the Mask of Gorgon, a precious and rare archaeological find, to the Algerian authorities in early April, adding that this piece "is a property that belongs to the Algerian people." "All the relevant legal procedures have been completed for this purpose," said Tunisian Minister in a statement to APS, adding that he invited his Algerian counterpart Khalida Toumi to visit Tunisia in early April to receive the "Mask of Gorgon, a property belonging to the Algerian people." The issue of restitution to the Algerian authorities of this "archaeological treasure" was discussed at the Large Algerian Tunisian joint Commission held on February 8 and co-chaired by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and head of the Tunisian government, Mahdi Jomaa. The Mask of Gorgon, made of white marble, was stolen in 1996 from the ancient site of Hippo (Annaba) in eastern Algeria, before being found inside the house of Sakhr el Materi, son of the ousted Tunisian President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali after the "jasmine revolution."